As You Like It

Even in a community bursting with theater options, productions by Ten Thousand Things are consistently singled out for acclaim. In addition to the assured roster of talent assembled for each show, much of the company's esteemed reputation can be credited to its staunch belief in creating theater that connects with all audiences, particularly those who have little familiarity with the stage. In pursuit of this audaciously idealistic goal, Ten Thousand Things searches for the empathetic core of each presented work, seeking a resonant center compelling enough to make even the dustiest of tomes seem explicitly composed for the modern world. For its latest work, the company's new production of Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It emphasizes the disorientation of being barred from the safety and security of privileged society with an emotional impact that requires no education in esoteric Elizabethan poetry. Exiled from their kingdom to the wild Forest of Arden, the play's protagonists find a romantic sanctuary in their vagabond community. Under the direction of Lear de Bessonet (whose last production with Ten Thousand Things, My Fair Lady, was a highlight of Twin Cities theater in 2010), As You Like It is bound to similarly captivate anyone who's ever wandered the unknown in search of a home. (Photo by Peter Vitale)Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 19, 4 p.m. Starts: Feb. 16. Continues through March 11, 2012